Sera's story of how the Stiffff
Kitties began, and the evils of the record industry!
Translated Interview from GOTHIC Magazine (Germany)
June-July 2003 issue
Sera founded the STIFFFF KITTIES in October of 2001. While in pursuit of wanting to
remain different both in look and sound, she found being different to be a very lonely place
most times. Sera had no idea what Goth meant when she started writing. The songs just
came from her heart, and she wrote them "in a box", isolated, with little or no influence from
any other bands.
She was well received by Gothic listeners online, and then found that her chosen lifestyle had
been that of the Gothic community. What Goth means to Sera is the ability to accept each
other no matter how different we are. Even though one doesn't conform to the norm in
society they should still be accepted.
Sera always had an inclination for dark things, a colorful dark childhood left her with a
sensitive heart. Halloween was her favorite holiday, scary movies with a good story line were
her favorite flicks, and intense visually-stimulating thrillers have always been her favorite
books. She is intrigued with the vampire character, and loves Bauhaus's song "Bela Lugosi's
Dead". Sera even delicately, with Bauhaus's permission, rewrote and recorded her version of
their acclaimed "Bela Lugosi's Dead". Very successfully we might add!
Shortly after her success began on the web internationally, she started receiving calls from
music industry people. She signed with a local producer who made her many promises, most
of which were lies to aide in his own personal selfish gain. After a year had gone by, with
many promises broken, she decided to fight back.
Sera at points had to hide out during the course of the legal proceedings in fear for her life.
Her ex-producer, even though he had been charged with "Assault with a deadly weapon",
and became very unpredictable, was still allowed to roam free during the course of the legal
proceedings. It was a terribly frightful and draining two year ordeal for Sera. Still, she is a
mountain climber, and a survivor...and is pressing on for higher ground, determined to leave
those memories in the grave.
The CD "Mya's, Book of the Dead" is an album full of messages to other artists, and industry
thieves: those artists who still feel they would sell their soul to make it in music should think
twice. It also has songs in which Sera wrote about what she went through, and what had
been taken from her by her producer. The song "Bleed Me" was directed at her producer;
she was victimized by him, and nearly bled dry. Sera claims that "He seems to have no
remorse and still does not to this day; he still lays blame on everyone else for what he did to
me." In the song "Bleed Me" the words "Bleed Me, until there's nothing inside; Bleed Me,
I've already died" is a comparison to what myth of a vampire that tries to drink of the blood
of the dead. The myth goes: if a vampire does drink of the dead, then that vampire dies. That
was a subtle invitation, and a warning to her producer to "go ahead and drink...but if you do,
in the end you will die!"
The STIFFFF KITTIES are expected to tour this year in the US, and abroad shortly after.
Sera is looking forward to meeting their fans world-wide who have remained faithful. She
feels her mission is to continue to fight for the rights of all artists against the evils of the music
industry.
"The show is an amazing mix of a band/drama on stage in a Cirque de Soleil-like
presentation. Lights, Smoke, visual effects."
One last thing, Sera has a kitty-cat named "STIFFFF" (see in one of the pictures inside the
CD booklet), which she loves dearly. Sera just wanted to clear up all the "Stiffff Kitties"
questions before any got started...
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